


Warm, Comforting, and Safe

by Luna_Moon22



Category: Dr. STONE (Anime), Dr. STONE (Manga)
Genre: Cuddling, F/M, M/M, SPOILERS!!!!!!, Slight Canon Divergences, a lot of cuddling, a lot of nightmares too, canon character death(?)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-16
Updated: 2019-08-16
Packaged: 2020-09-02 00:07:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,346
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20266765
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Luna_Moon22/pseuds/Luna_Moon22
Summary: Senkuu wishes he could say that things haven’t changed much since the days before the world shifted so drastically.





	Warm, Comforting, and Safe

Senkuu wishes he could say that things haven’t changed much since the days before the world shifted so drastically.

_One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six._

He truly, with all of his heart, wishes things could be the same. He wishes that he could see the sun rise in the morning without flinching at the first sight of a light bright enough to blind him. He wishes that he could sit still, lie still, stand still, for more than a minute without his mind racing at 10 billion miles per hour.

_Seven. Eight. Nine. Ten._

It’s odd. Back then, before, he used to wish that his mind would never stop. He used to struggle, fight, to keep his mind working for as long as possible. Even with the knowledge that sleep was important to maintain his health, he always found himself pushing to stay awake. To answer just one more question, read one more page, test one more variable.

_Eleven. Twelve. Thirteen. Fourteen. Fifteen. Sixteen._

But now, so many years, decades, centuries, _millennia_, of having no other choice, of being forced, stretched to the absolute _limit_ of his brain capacity, he wants nothing more than to close his eyes, take a deep breath that he can actually _feel _in his own lungs, and go to sleep. He wants to rest. It’s been _so long_ since he was able to rest.

_Seventeen. Eighteen. Nineteen. Twenty._

But every time he closes his eyes, every time he starts to relax, alarm bells blare through his mind. His brain screams for him to STAY AWAKE! STAY ALERT! He’s caught his body on the verge of collapse so many times that he’s lost count. Things seem fuzzy more often than they don’t. Everything makes him jump. Everything seems out of place, unusual. Even things that he knows so well that they come to his muscles before his mind feel strange. He feels as though he just emerged from a cocoon. Though, when he stops to think about it for a moment, it really is as though he’s just emerged from a cocoon.

_One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six._

Keeping himself going is a struggle.

Not because of a lack of direction. Not because he doesn’t _want_ to keep going. Not because he doesn’t know what to do.

Because so much has changed.

Because he has to do everything on his own now.

_Seven. Eight. Nine. Ten._

He has to think that, on some level, it isn’t permanent. Perhaps, once the other wakes up, the brawn to his brains, the one he’s been waiting for, things will get easier. He doesn’t even question it, because of course things will be easier. He won’t be carrying this massive burden on just his own shoulders. He won’t have to struggle through the physical work that leaves his body bruised and his arms numb. He won’t have to stave off hunger pains and drowsy eyes out of fear that indulging himself will mean that he won’t have enough to survive through the next day.

_Eleven. Twelve. Thirteen. Fourteen. Fifteen. Sixteen._

He fights to keep going.

_Seventeen. Eighteen. Nineteen. Twenty._

Long ago, so long ago that Senkuu fears he may forget, the idea of solitude was almost appealing to him. Never something that he truly wanted, but not something that he necessarily minded. Sometimes, being alone with his thoughts was exactly what he needed to work out the last few details of that problem that had him and the Big Oaf completely stumped.

But now, when all he has to do is work, think, and fail to rest, he wishes more than anything that the damn oaf would just _hurry up._

_One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six._

He’s up in a tree, hands barely managing to maintain a grip on the branch, when he looks down to see a streak of skin, topped by messy brown hair. And it takes almost everything he has not to jump right out of the tree and wrap the damn oaf up in his arms.

Instead he smirks, walks across a large, steady branch of the tree, and stares right down at the boy he’s been waiting to see for _so long_ that his heart, a part of his being that he really does not have a happy relationship with, _aches _upon seeing him so clearly.

“You slept in a hell of a long time, Big Oaf.”

_I missed you._

_Seven. Eight. Nine. Ten._

Things get so much easier with Taiju around.

Senkuu doesn’t have to chase off starvation. He doesn’t have to purposefully chase sleep away just to give himself enough time to get what he needs to keep himself alive another day. Taiju is there to mention when Senkuu looks tired. Taiju is there to handle the busy work. He can put his brainpower to good use, assuming he has much of it left over by the time the two of them groggily climb out of bed in the mornings, just after the sunrise.

He thinks Taiju can’t stand to watch it either.

_Eleven. Twelve. Thirteen. Fourteen. Fifteen. Sixteen._

Senkuu knows his friend well.

He always has. From the first moment they knew each other, from the moment a complete stranger dove in and took the hit that was meant for him, Senkuu has known Taiju well enough to know how he’ll react to any given situation. His relationship with Taiju, his knowledge of his best friend, is something he never thought would change. Taiju is steady. Taiju is like a rock, in more ways than one. Taiju never shifts, never falters, never gives in. He stays the same. He’s always stayed the same.

_Seventeen. Eighteen. Nineteen. Twenty._

Even Taiju is different.

Senkuu has to question just how little sleep he’s managed to get to wonder how it took him more than one day to notice that Taiju is different.

It’s a subtle difference, in his defense. Taiju’s being, his personality, his endless wealth of stamina, his crazy strength, none of that has changed. He’s still _Taiju. _He still gets excited over the smallest things, still jumps to crazy and wrong conclusions about every little thing, still has endless trust in every word that leaves Senkuu’s mouth.

But he’s different.

Senkuu notices bags under his eyes. He notices him staring off into the distance. He hears him muttering incomprehensible words to himself that he can never make out beyond the constant presence of “Yuzuriha” in his thoughts. He shakes himself awake, the same way Senkuu does, and slaps his cheeks much more than he used to. As if he’s trying to keep himself here. As if he’s trying to stay awake.

Senkuu is sure he knows the cause, but he doesn’t think either of them would really benefit from an answer.

_One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six._

He wakes up in a cold sweat, the first time in what feels like months that he’s slept more than maybe two hours, breath heaving and shoulders shaking. He isn’t sure why. He wasn’t dreaming. When he drifted off his body seemed like it was finally okay with staying still for more than five minutes. But he jolts up, body practically forcing him to shift every few seconds. He raises a hand to cover his mouth. Even if he can’t stop the loud panting ripping through his lungs, Taiju is asleep mere feet from him. Taiju needs his rest just as much, if not more, than Senkuu does. And Taiju’s hearing has always been better than anyone would give him credit for. Especially now, Senkuu is sure. They had to be on guard back then, sure. Bullies liked to make their moves when both boys had backs turned and the biggest smiles on their faces. But now, there aren’t any bullies. There are wild animals, plants, pitfalls, and a thousand other things that are so much scarier than a few bullies.

And Taiju is still protecting him.

The least he can do is try to let his friend get some rest.

_Seven. Eight. Nine. Ten._

“Senkuu?”

His breath catches in his throat. He thinks it’s the first time he’s ever felt himself jump out of genuine surprise. His heart picks up the pace and his body unfreezes, head turning to look at Taiju, lying mere feet from him on the wooden floor of their shared tiny home.

“Senkuu, are you okay?”

The things that changed have remained completely unsaid.

So he nods.

“Yeah. Just had an idea that woke me up.” He lies. He knows that Taiju won’t buy it. Somehow, in his gut, despite his trust in Taiju’s trust, he knows that Taiju won’t buy it. “I’m going back to sleep, big oaf, the sun’s gonna come up soon.”

_Eleven. Twelve. Thirteen. Fourteen. Fifteen. Sixteen._

“Senkuu,” Taiju is sitting up now, and Senkuu can’t help feeling guilty that he brought the other so far out of the sleep that both of them lack. “Come over here.” Taiju says it so simply. It isn’t a command, or even a request. Senkuu can’t take it as either of those things. More of an invitation. And just hearing a voice so familiar sound so welcoming is enough to relax his shoulders. So he accepts, slides across the floor, and winds up shoulder to shoulder with his best friend of 3,713 years.

“Senkuu,” Taiju says his name with such kindness, such _care_, that Senkuu is shocked back to 3,700 years ago. To falling asleep at his desk. To waking up with a blanket draped over his shoulders and a glass of water left just next to his head, often accompanied by a note with blessings of a good day and a request to say hello to the very boy who is wrapping his arms around Senkuu right now. “I’m the only one here.”

_I know that._ Is what he wants to say. Because _of course he knows that. _That’s part of the _problem._

_Seventeen. Eighteen. Nineteen. Twenty._

His breathing picks up again, and he can feel Taiju’s arms, thick and strong and solid and _soft. _He would never have described Taiju’s arms as being _soft_ before. But they are. They’re so _soft_ and _warm _and _comfortable _and _safe._ He feels so _safe_ with his friend’s arms pulling him against his chest. He feels his fingers clinging to the fabric of Taiju’s clothing, he feels his shoulders shaking again.

“Senkuu, I’m the only one here.” Taiju says it again. It isn’t a demand, or a request, or a reminder. Once again, it’s an invitation. An invitation for Senkuu to feel safe, for him to break his façade. For him to let himself _feel._

“I _know._” He nearly hisses. “I know that, Big Oaf.” He mutters. “I know.”

It’s the first time in the 3,718 years that Senkuu has been on this Earth that he lets another person see him cry. It isn’t for long, it isn’t a lot, it isn’t loud. But it’s there. When he manages to blink the water out of his eyes, he can see it in Taiju’s clothing. He can see the evidence right before his very eyes. He really hates it.

But Taiju is running a hand through his hair. It’s soft, gentle, soothing, rhythmic, repetitive, and it’s making Senkuu’s eyes feel heavy.

So he leans his head against Taiju’s chest, both of them still sitting on the floor of their tiny shared home, and closes his eyes. He can hear Taiju’s heart beating. Warm, steady, rhythmic, repetitive, _alive. _He closes his eyes, lets Taiju’s arms tighten around him, and drifts into the most peaceful five hours of his life.

_One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six._

By the time he wakes up, the sun is high in the sky and he feels as though he’s slept for another thousand years. He feels rested for the first time in _so long _that he actually thinks he could go back to sleep. He can feel Taiju’s breathing, still soft and steady underneath his ears, and he closes his eyes again.

_Seven. Eight. Nine. Ten._

Things get so much easier after that.

Senkuu thinks that Taiju’s hold on him was exactly what he needed to realize just how _lonely _the past 18 months have been. Even for the 12 months that Taiju has been awake, neither of them has really been awake. But they are now. They are now, and Taiju seems so much more himself now.

They sleep like that every night. Taiju pulls Senkuu right into his arms at the start of every night, just as they’re settling down. It doesn’t help every night. Some nights they just lie like that. They stay quiet, just in case the nerves settle down and they manage to drift off, but they always manage to rest their bodies, even when their minds refuse to quiet down.

Food is easy and abundant, time almost more-so, and it barely takes them another three months to finally get a revival fluid that actually works. Of course the process is grueling, painful, infuriating, frustrating, as science often is. But that, that painstaking effort that he pours into every single trial and every single scientific thought that he has, is something that hasn’t changed, and something he doesn’t think will ever change.

_Eleven. Twelve. Thirteen. Fourteen. Fifteen. Sixteen._

Senkuu, of course, has considered many possibilities that could make things worse. Illness, injury, sudden loss of a food source, natural disaster, wild animal attack, re-petrification, etc. When you’re alone with yourself for over 3,700 years, you consider so many things that would normally never cross your mind. Though, if he really takes the time to think about it, imagining the worst-case scenarios before hand is not exactly out-of-character for him.

He never imagined this, though.

He never imagined that he and Taiju would be attacked by lions, of all things, in the middle of reviving the girl who he knows has not left Taiju’s mind for a second for over 3,700 years. Even if ‘wild animal attacks’ was on his list of things to watch out for, the inconvenience of it happening _just _as they’re about to revive Yuzuriha is almost laughable.

He doesn’t really mind reviving someone else before Yuzuriha. It sets their plans back a bit, but it ends up only improving their quality of life once Tsukasa enters the picture. Their food is higher quality, more diverse, and Taiju never has to even come close to breaking his unspoken rule to never harm another living being. Several of Senkuu’s worries evaporate. With someone as powerful as Tsukasa to protect them, there’s fewer things that can harm them. On one hand, it puts some of his nerves at ease.

Of course, he has total faith in Taiju. But he also knows Taiju. He knows that Taiju would never throw a punch, never harm a single living thing, but Tsukasa doesn’t mind hunting. He didn’t mind killing a lion in one hit because two boys he didn’t even know were in danger. It takes the burden off of Taiju’s shoulders. It keeps Taiju slightly farther away from the danger that lurks beyond their, admittedly flimsy, walls.

_Seventeen. Eighteen. Nineteen. Twenty._

On the other hand, things get harder with Tsukasa around.

Senkuu isn’t alone with Taiju anymore. He can’t feel the same level of comfort, of safety, that he felt when the two of them were alone. The first night that Tsukasa joins them under their shared roof, Senkuu doesn’t fall into Taiju’s open arms, and his friend is forced to pretend as if the offer to comfort, warmth, safety, was simply an exhausted stretch.

Taiju doesn’t look disappointed. And Senkuu knows Taiju well enough to know that Taiju understands. That he won’t be upset. But he knows for sure that the sleep the both of them get that night roughly adds up to zero.

_One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six._

His first thought is that he has to get Taiju away from Tsukasa.

He doesn’t come across this thought out of jealousy. There’s no reason to be jealous. Taiju only has eyes for Yuzuriha and most of the stares that come from the absolute behemoth of a man are directed Senkuu’s way. He finds himself staring over his shoulder much more often than he did when the fear of a wild animal was the worst thing he had to worry about.

No. He thinks that he has to get Taiju away from Tsukasa because Senkuu has seen Tsukasa _punch a man’s head clean off his body._

Senkuu has never been one to show his emotions or to be intimidated by much of anything, but that moment was possibly one of the most terrifying of his life.

If Tsukasa could do such a thing to a stone statue, what was stopping him from doing the same to Taiju?

So, as he always does, Senkuu makes a plan.

_Seven. Eight. Nine. Ten._

Even if it means adding another potential hostage, Senkuu knows Taiju well enough to know that he won’t go unless Yuzuriha goes with them. He knows _himself _well enough to know that he won’t be able to focus unless they bring Yuzuriha with them. Even though he’s spent so much of his life trying to project an image of apathy, he’s never been able to actually achieve it. Yuzuriha is important. He can’t just leave her behind.

He knew in advance that it was the least logical of several scenarios. That adding Yuzuriha to their little trio so early on was likely only going to end with Tsukasa taking her hostage and getting one of the two boys killed, but Senkuu really can’t do anything else. He doesn’t have another choice but to pour that revival fluid and hope that he can work out a way out of this situation.

Gunpowder is a risky plan.

Jumping in front of Yuzuriha with a crossbow was a risky plan. Taiju charging Tsukasa was a risky plan. Escaping at all was a risky plan. But gunpowder is a _risky_ plan.

If Senkuu lets himself speculate, while Taiju speaks with his typical gung-ho attitude and Yuzuriha stares at the overgrown plant-life in pure fascination, then he thinks that Tsukasa discovering this plan could get Senkuu killed.

So Senkuu does his best not to speculate, and simply focus on getting their little group from point A to point B as fast as possible.

_Eleven. Twelve. Thirteen. Fourteen. Fifteen. Sixteen._

One positive of this impromptu trip, if nothing else, is that Senkuu is surrounded by friends once again.

One positive, if nothing else, is that when Taiju opens his arms late at night, both Senkuu and Yuzuriha fall into his grasp. They’re practically in a pile the entire night, Senkuu and Yuzuriha on top while Taiju keeps both of them pressed tightly against his chest. Mere minutes after all of them begin to get comfortable, Senkuu feels another arm, softer and smaller and leaner, wrap around his shoulders. This arm doesn’t pull him closer to its source or anything. It feels more as though this arm just wants reassurance or to reassure. He can’t be certain which one, but the arm is comfortable. It’s comforting.

He’s surprised that it takes him longer than two moments to realize that this arm belongs to Yuzuriha.

He isn’t surprised that she would wrap her arm around him in a way that almost feels like a pat on the back. Like a simple reassurance, and not an extended gesture. Even though her arm remains around his shoulders, he doesn’t feel a compulsive need to push her off, or justify allowing it to remain.

He’s surprised that he feels so safe with her.

He’s surprised at how easily he falls asleep, despite the fear of Tsukasa weighing heavily on his mind.

_Seventeen. Eighteen. Nineteen. Twenty._

Senkuu knows he can’t let Yuzuriha die.

In that moment, staring eye-to-eye with this absolute monster of a man, his hands are so massive that Senkuu can almost _see _his fingers crushing Yuzuriha’s windpipe in one motion. He can see her crashing to the ground. He can hear himself screaming. He can hear Taiju’s crying. And he knows he can’t let any of that happen.

“Ha, I have no attachment to that woman, when it comes to females there are plenty–“

And Yuzuriha’s hair flies off. Tsukasa’s spear is _so close_ to simply severing her lifeline that Senkuu can feel his entire body _shake._

Tsukasa’s forced to relinquish his grip in favor of sending a clear, unambiguous message. Senkuu feels his entire body freeze. He can’t move. His mouth hangs open. His hands are shaking.

_She almost died. He almost killed her. She almost died. What do I do what do I do what do I do–_

Senkuu knows he can’t let Yuzuriha die.

Even when she says the words, even when she tells him to let it go, to give her up, Senkuu knows he can’t let Yuzuriha die. He knows Taiju would never forgive himself for not being there.

He knows that he would never forgive himself for letting it happen.

“The revival fluid is Nital.”

He can see the horror, the utter despair in her eyes as he rattles off the explanation. He manages to register it in between the furious firing of his brain as he struggles to _think. _There must be a way out of this, he just has to think.

_One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six._

It’s a long shot. He knows it.

_Seven. Eight. Nine. Ten._

But there’s a chance. There’s a chance that this could end with no one dead, no one injured. There’s a chance.

_Eleven. Twelve. Thirteen. Fourteen. Fifteen. Sixteen._

And he’s going to take it.

_Seventeen. Eighteen. Nineteen. Twenty._

He only has about one second to process the fingers on his neck, the sharp reflexive inhale and his arms flying up in some futile attempt to defend himself. His eyes manage to find Yuzuriha in that moment. Just for that moment.

He can only hope it works.

_Her hair looks nice like that._

Then all he sees is black.

_One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six._

The first thing he feels when his eyes open, when oxygen rushes into his lungs and the world is full of color again is relief.

He can’t even think to describe it any other way. The two standing over him aren’t even looking at him, but just seeing the both of them _breathing _and_ there _and_ alive _fills him with a warm feeling of relief.

Taiju wraps him up in a crushing hug. And, even though he shoves the other off quicker than he thinks he ever has before, he can’t hide the momentary flash of pure affection that blazes across his eyes as he looks at his two oldest friends.

How he wishes this could last.

_Seven. Eight. Nine. Ten._

Senkuu can’t think of a time where his heart has hurt more than the moment he turns around, flag still tied around his neck in what is intended to be a splint, and sees Taiju with his fist high in the air. Both of them know, deep in their hearts and their minds, that there is a distinct possibility that they won’t see each other for months, maybe even years.

It’s reassuring in a way. It represents something that Senkuu already knows, deep in his heart, that doesn’t need to be reassured, but seeing it brings a smile to his lips regardless.

So he raises a hand to unfasten the knot that Yuzuriha oh-so-carefully fastened just moments before and raises the flag. Head angled towards the ground, back to the two friends who have done oh-so much for him, and who he would do absolutely anything for.

_We’ll see each other again._

_Don’t you worry._

_And next time we see each other,_

_Science will be strong enough to win._

_Eleven. Twelve. Thirteen. Fourteen. Fifteen. Sixteen._

It takes maybe five minutes before Senkuu wants to adopt Chrome. And he has to wonder if that’s something he got from his dad.

Perhaps it’s something about the clear passion and study that has gone into everything that Chrome has in the storehouse that he shows him to. Perhaps it’s something about the sparkle that enters the (younger?) boy’s eye as soon as Senkuu explains how the fire trick _actually _works. The excitement that jumps into his voice once Senkuu picks up one of the many materials in his storeroom and says the name outright.

He sees so, so, _so _much of himself in this boy.

He just needs someone to guide him.

“Chrome, how would you like to join my kingdom of science?”

_Seventeen. Eighteen. Nineteen. Twenty._

He doesn’t sleep alone for even a single night in the village. Well, technically he doesn’t sleep in the village. He isn’t allowed into the village, even with Chrome and Kohaku vouching for him, the guards won’t put their weapons down for even a moment. He’s already working on a plan to get them on his side, but that isn’t important yet.

Chrome lets him into his hut. It’s a level of kindness that he would never expect from a stranger. Maybe from someone like Taiju, maybe even Yuzuriha. But never from someone who he’s known for a total of less than one day.

But it doesn’t matter. It’s not as though he would be able to get much of any sleep anyway.

_One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six._

He misses Taiju.

He misses Yuzuriha.

He misses the feeling of Taiju’s arms, strong and soft and safe, around his body. The feeling that, should he begin to slip away, someone is right there to pull him back. Even with someone sleeping barely more than a foot away from him, it’s not Taiju. It’s not Yuzuriha.

It’s not someone _safe._

He wants to go home.

_Seven. Eight. Nine. Ten._

The night feels like it’s going on forever.

He manages to close his eyes for more than a few minutes, if nothing else, and his body gets the rest it so desperately needs after several days of sleeping in the forest. But his mind never stops whirring. Five minutes after his eyes close for the first time that night, they throw themselves open in a cold sweat. His breathing picks up and he scans the room.

He hates to admit it, even to himself, but he knows that, subconsciously, he’s looking for Taiju.

But, of course, Taiju isn’t there.

He wishes they hadn’t split up.

_Eleven. Twelve. Thirteen. Fourteen. Fifteen. Sixteen._

Senkuu has never been one to have nightmares.

Even thousands of years ago, even when he was small, even when he barely knew the man he called ‘father’, he can’t remember a single time where he woke in a cold sweat out of anything more than nervousness over an experiment. Never out of fear. Never because of some surreal image that his mind crafted to scare him.

Tonight, the night that feels as though it’s lasted just as long as his time as a statue, Senkuu awakes from his first nightmare.

It isn’t long and it isn’t complicated. He dreams about feeling Tsukasa’s fingers around his neck, mostly. He dreams about feeling those thick, muscular fingers cutting off his air, he dreams about having the time to raise his arms and fight back, pulling and grasping and gasping for air. He dreams about seeing Yuzuriha’s eyes as she watches. He dreams about hearing Taiju’s screams as he comes running. He dreams about hearing them beg for his life.

Before everything goes black.

And he wakes up.

_Seventeen. Eighteen. Nineteen. Twenty._

When he jumps awake, lungs heaving and sweat falling off his forehead, his first instinct is to bring a hand right over his mouth.

His second instinct is to focus on breathing. Focus on bringing himself back down. Back to reality. Back here.

_I miss you guys._

He wishes things could have been different.

_One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six._

Most nights go like that. They get less intense, and he doesn’t have nightmares most nights, but the lack of sleep is not something new to him.

Even as he gets closer with Chrome, even as he begins to feel comfortable with Chrome and Kohaku and maybe even Kinrou and Ginrou, Senkuu can never bring himself to reach across the wooden floor to tap Chrome awake. He can never bring himself to ask the other to move closer.

_Seven. Eight. Nine. Ten._

Things stay the same for a long time.

Even as things change, they stay the same.

Even as he’s allowed into the village, he doesn’t see any reason to actually move into the village. He likes sleeping in Chrome’s little hut. He likes the feeling of a familiar location, he likes the knowledge that someone he at least knows and trusts is not far from him.

But things, eventually, do change.

Namely, Gen Asagiri moves in.

Chrome’s hut is really too small for all three of them to sleep on the wooden floor, but he’s nothing if not welcoming. In fact, he seems incredibly enthusiastic to have both Gen and Senkuu joining him.

So, when Senkuu settles down that night, he really isn’t sure what to make of the pile of purple fabric about three feet to his right.

From what he can tell, Gen falls asleep fast. His eyes are closed before Senkuu even has his back on the floor. Senkuu finds himself glancing towards Chrome before his eyes find themselves staring towards the door of the hut. The curtain pulled across it blows softly in the wind and Senkuu has to wonder just how long it might take for the man with the mask (Gen called him Hyouga?) to alert Tsukasa.

He wonders just how long he has until that nightmare becomes a reality.

He wonders if Taiju, Yuzuriha, Gen, Kohaku, Chrome, will be close behind him.

He can only _hope_ with everything he has that, even once Tsukasa knows that he’s alive, he’ll leave them alone. Maybe, somehow, Tsukasa will manage to convince himself that Taiju and Yuzuriha don’t even know that Senkuu is alive.

It’s unlikely, but it’s possible.

_I’ll get there soon._

_Taiju, Yuzuriha,_

_Just hold on._

_I’ll get to you soon._

_Eleven. Twelve. Thirteen. Fourteen. Fifteen. Sixteen._

As Winter begins, Senkuu’s sleep schedule somehow becomes even _more_ irregular. He really didn’t think it was possible, but somehow, maybe because of the temperature, maybe because of the knowledge that, now, after 9 months of relative safety and comfort, his enemy, the man who wants him dead, the man who has _killed him once before_, knows that he’s alive. He knows his location. If Tsukasa wished, he could simply storm the village, and there would be little Senkuu could do to stop him at the moment.

He closes his eyes to visions of blood, knives, spears, fingers wrapped around his neck, strangling, crying, begging. Never him. He’s never the one begging, crying, screaming, for his life. He can hear Taiju, Yuzuriha, Kohaku, Chrome, Ruri, even Gen, crying and screaming and begging for Tsukasa, Hyouga, whoever the looming figure is, to spare Senkuu.

The looming figures never listen.

Senkuu always wants to tell them to stop begging.

It’s much harder to die when those you love have to watch.

Senkuu knows from experience.

He’s thankful that he always manages to wake up before, sometimes with, the inevitable _snap_ that comes when their fingers close in.

_Seventeen. Eighteen. Nineteen. Twenty._

Waking up is never pleasant.

In some ways, he doesn’t mind that Gen has moved into Chrome’s hut. He doesn’t really mind having two bodies surrounding him at night, but he does mind that he has to be _that_ much more careful to keep himself quiet when he wakes up gasping in a cold sweat and with his eyes blinking hard to make sure that he _really is awake_.

His hands have come to cover his mouth before he can even register the noise that his breathing makes. His eyes don’t dart over the room in search of Taiju anymore, he’s had 9 months to unlearn that habit, but he always feels a deep _ache_ in his chest that he knows he can’t erase, no matter how hard he may try.

“Senkuu-chan?”

He feels his entire body tense up.

Hands leave his mouth.

Head turns.

Crimson eyes meet gray ones.

The two stay still, silent, frozen.

“Senkuu-chan?” The other repeats the call, voice quiet. Clearly in some kind of attempt to let Chrome, on the other side of the small hut, sleep in peace. Or, perhaps, to preserve the privacy of the situation.

Senkuu stays silent, hands drifting down into his lap.

“Yeah?”

_One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six._

“Senkuu-chan, are you okay?”

The words send him reeling.

_Seven. Eight. Nine. Ten._

“Yeah. Just had an idea that woke me up.”

His chest just aches more and more and more and more.

_Eleven. Twelve. Thirteen. Fourteen. Fifteen. Sixteen._

“Senkuu-chan. Chrome-chan is asleep.”

It’s not a reminder, or a demand, or a command.

It’s an invitation.

_Seventeen. Eighteen. Nineteen. Twenty._

He watches, eyes wide and almost skeptical as Gen moves to sit up. He watches, eyebrows furrowing in curiosity, as Gen’s arms extend and open.

It’s not an offer, or a demand, or a request, or anything that could be confused for one.

It’s an invitation.

_One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six._

Senkuu doesn’t know what to do.

There are very few times that he can think of where he has been caught so far out of his comfort zone.

He opens his mouth to ask a question, mostly for clarification, but is there really a point?

When he looks at Gen, right now, he makes eye-contact and all he can see is the safety and the comfort and the _warmth_ that he’s been missing for almost 9 months and he _just can’t stop himself._

He slides across the floor, sitting shoulder-to-shoulder with the boy who has been one of his most trusted allies for almost 7 months.

Gen doesn’t feel like Taiju.

He doesn’t pull Senkuu close to his chest. He doesn’t wrap Senkuu up in his arms, or run a hand through the base of Senkuu’s hair.

He wraps an arm around Senkuu’s shoulders. Gentle, soft, little more than reassurance.

But it serves its purpose.

He thinks it does, at least.

_Seven. Eight. Nine. Ten._

“Senkuu-chan, it’s every night now.”

“What is?” He raises an eyebrow. Both of them have voices low enough that, hopefully, Chrome can sleep right through their words.

“This.” Gen gestures to Senkuu with his free hand, and Senkuu can tell that the other is dancing around the words ‘nightmare, panic, fear, wake’.

“Yeah?”

“You need to rest, Senkuu-chan. You know it will be Winter soon? If you aren’t rested, we’ll have to carry you around soon enough.”

“Hm.”

“‘Hm.’” Gen’s voice is so shockingly close to his own that it sends him reeling. “Senkuu-chan, you should know how important it is to take care of yourself.”

“Uh-huh.” He nods.

“‘Uh-huh.’”

“Okay, cut that out.”

“I’m serious, Senkuu-chan.” A frown plasters itself across Gen’s lips.

“I know you are.” He frowns. “I’m working on it.”

“Hmmmm.” Gen pauses, as if trying to work out what to say next. “…you keep dreaming about Tsukasa-chan, right?”

Senkuu freezes.

_Of course Gen would be able to tell._

“Senkuu-chan–“

“It’s fine.”

One hand rises to rub the back of his neck.

Gen doesn’t look convinced, but he doesn’t follow up on the questioning.

“Fine, then. At least rest tonight.”

Senkuu nods. He doesn’t know what else do to.

He lets Gen guide him back to the floor. He lets Gen keep his arm wrapped around Senkuu’s shoulders. He lets Gen press their foreheads together, just for a moment, and he lets Gen pull his face into the deep purple of Gen’s robes. He lets Gen gently rub at the roots of his hair until his eyes grow heavy and his mind grows fuzzy.

“Goodnight, Senkuu-chan.”

He’s drifted off before he can even open his mouth to say it back.

_Eleven. Twelve. Thirteen. Fourteen. Fifteen. Sixteen._

Sleep gets slightly easier from there.

Senkuu still doesn’t tap either of them awake when he wakes in a cold sweat. But, without fail, Gen is awake whenever Senkuu needs him to be.

But Senkuu knows that he can’t afford to dwell on dreams when he’s got actual murderers to stop.

_Seventeen. Eighteen. Nineteen. Twenty._

There’s a blindfold over his eyes.

There’s a blindfold over his eyes, and all he can hear is Gen Asagiri sneering at him, and Kohaku saying something about how it’s too late, the whole village is with Gen, and he can’t help but feel disappointed that he was wrong.

He can’t help but feel disappointed as much as he feels betrayed.

Not that it matters.

Because those dreams will become real soon.

Eyes trapped behind fabric, all Senkuu can see is Tsukasa’s face as he monologues, says something about how things ‘didn’t have to go this way.’ He’s sure that Tsukasa will make it into a public execution.

He can already hear Taiju and Yuzuriha. Or maybe they won’t call out. Maybe. Maybe they’ll manage to be logical over something that even Senkuu would struggle to watch.

Unlikely.

At least, if nothing else, he’ll likely get to see Taiju and Yuzuriha again before he dies for real.

Maybe, somehow, he can even get Tsukasa to give them some time to say goodbye for real this time.

Maybe.

Unlikely.

He’ll just have to shout his goodbyes, then.

“I guess you finally realized that the best way to save the village is to offer my head, and science, to Tsukasa on a silver platter, huh?”

There’s a moment of silence, and Senkuu has to wonder if they’re having second thoughts on turning him over.

“Well, I don’t know what you’re on about–“

And his blindfold is pulled off.

And he’s looking through a telescope.

“Happy Birthday, Senkuu-chan.”

And he feels stupid for ever getting so nervous in the first place.

_One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six._

By the time there’s a cell phone in his hands, in position, he isn’t sure he’s ready to have his fears denied. He isn’t sure if he’s ready to hear their voices again.

Worst case scenarios run through his mind. The person on the other end will be someone else, only one of the two will be there, no one will _ever_ pick up the phone because the phone never got there, or there’s no one on the other end _to _pick it up.

“S-SENKUUUUUUUUUUU!!!!”

And all his fears fly out the window.

“Yo, Big Lug.”

_I miss you._

_I can’t wait to see you._

_Not too much longer._

“To think… ever since then… it’s been a whole year…”

_I’ll be there soon._

_Just stay safe._

_Seven. Eight. Nine. Ten._

He can _see them_.

The moment Taiju and Yuzuriha are within his field of vision, he can feel his entire body relaxing. All his fears really were for nothing. The moment that Taiju goes in to hug him, he almost, _almost_, lets him. It’s been over a year, after all. He can’t deny that he himself really wants to let Taiju wrap him up in his arms. But not now. Not yet. There’s a war to win.

Teary reunions can be saved for later.

_Eleven. Twelve. Thirteen. Fourteen. Fifteen. Sixteen._

“Let me guess, if I let you kill me, only the man of science has to die.”

This is it, really. This is the moment that has been the culmination of all of Senkuu’s nightmares. The moment where Tsukasa will wrap his fingers around Senkuu’s neck. The moment where no one will be able to stop him. The moment where he has to say goodbye to those that he loves more than anything in the world.

But, when Taiju’s teary voice enters his ears, he isn’t begging for Tsukasa’s mercy.

“NO, SENKUU, YOU CAN’T…!”

“This… this will be the same as back then..! I never wanna go through that again..!!”

And he can’t help but smile.

“Knock it off, Big Oaf. Nothing’s the same now as it was back then.”

“Because, now, we’re not alone anymore.”

He puts his hands on his belt, staring Tsukasa right down. Staring his biggest fear, the man he has been hiding from for over a year, right in the face.

“Now, we have a whole kingdom of science to back us.”

“And there’s no way we can lose.”

_Seventeen. Eighteen. Nineteen. Twenty._

He honestly doesn’t mind teaming up with Tsukasa, as short-lived as it might be. Right now they have a much bigger threat to deal with, both of them are injured and exhausted and honestly all Senkuu wants is to catch up with the two people who he’s been pried away from for over a year.

But murderers have to be dealt with. Senkuu’s already taken a hit to the hand, and Hyouga might as well be aiming for his throat. He really doesn’t know what it is about him that keeps attracting killers to his neck, but there doesn’t seem to be much that he can do about it.

He really doesn’t trust Tsukasa enough to put his own life in his hands, but he really doesn’t have a choice here. The hand he has over Tsukasa’s wound is shaking. Maybe it’s out of fear. Maybe it’s concern for Tsukasa’s wellbeing. There are so many possible explanations for it, but none of them are important right now.

Right now, defeating Hyouga is more important.

Even though Tsukasa is wounded, even though Senkuu knows that he himself can’t actually win any real fight, there really isn’t any other choice.

Tsukasa’s wound will have to be dealt with later.

Because, no matter what Tsukasa has done, no matter how much of his own suffering Senkuu can attribute to Tsukasa’s actions, Senkuu refuses to let a single human being die under his watch.

_One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six._

The others find them, half-way to dead on the ground. Senkuu can’t even find the energy to lift his own head out of the dirt.

“SENKUUUUUUUUUUU!!!!”

It takes barely a moment for him to feel himself hoisted off of the ground. A sharp inhale escapes his lips as Taiju cradles him close to his chest. If he had the energy, he would lift his hand to grip Taiju’s clothing. But he doesn’t. So he just hangs limp in his friend’s arms.

“Ahhh, took you long enough, Big Oaf.”

He finds it odd that right now, injured and exhausted and mere feet from the man who once murdered him, is the safest and most comfortable he’s felt in over a year.

_Seven. Eight. Nine. Ten._

Things fall into a comfortable routine after not too long.

The Kingdom of Science has only gotten bigger, but things have only returned to their roots for Senkuu. He has his own hut now, reminiscent of the one he built for himself all that time ago. People come and go often. But only two ever stay.

Taiju and Yuzuriha.

Most call it Senkuu’s hut. When referring to their destination, they say they’re going to visit the hut of their leader. They say they’re going to visit Senkuu Ishigami’s hut, just on the outskirts of Ishigami village. The place where the Kingdom of Science started.

But Senkuu would never call it his hut.

_Eleven. Twelve. Thirteen. Fourteen. Fifteen. Sixteen._

Every night, as the three settle down, after the curtain is drawn, Taiju opens his arms up wide and Senkuu and Yuzuriha fall right in.

He smiles at the feeling of warmth, comfort, safety, that comes from being wrapped up in the arms of someone so strong, but so gentle. He smiles at the additional reassurance that comes when Yuzuriha extends her arm to bring the three of them just a bit closer together.

When Senkuu is warm, comfortable, and safe, he sleeps like so many did for so many thousands of years.

Dreamless.

Peaceful. 

_Safe._


End file.
